The guild hall buzzed with the familiar rhythm of clashing of mugs, the shuffle of gear, the bark of laughter, and orders. Notices were pinned thick across the quest board.
Liora stepped through the doorway, pulling back her hood and brushing a few strands of silver hair from her eyes. Her long sword was strapped firmly across her back, and though she moved with calm grace, there was a quiet tension in her shoulders, the pull of responsibility left behind at the inn.
Behind the front desk stood Gareth, the gruff senior clerk, sorting through stamped parchments.
"Liora," he said with a nod. "Was wondering when you'd show."
She returned it with a tired smile. "I need a safe job. Good payout. Day trip, maybe two. Nothing that'll drag me too far out."
Gareth grunted and plucked a few notices from a folder.
"Bandits sighted west of the trade road. Caravan escort in three days. And this," he tapped a parchment stamped in green wax, " gathering rare moss near the Crystal Ridge. Pays well if you find enough, but it's risky terrain. Wolves have been sighted."
Liora's eyes lingered on the moss job. Not glamorous, but easy to handle alone.
She was about to take it when someone cleared their throat beside her.
"Um… excuse me. You're Liora, right?"
She turned.
A girl stood there, young, barely older than a teen. Pink hair loose with a messy braid, a short sword hanging on her belt. Her leather armor was new, stiff, and still bore the faint scent of the tannery. Her eyes, though, were wide with determination.
"My name's Tessa," the girl said, bowing awkwardly. "I just registered as an E-rank last week. I heard you're one of the best solo adventurers around here. I was wondering…"
She hesitated, then rushed the words:
"Could I come with you on your next quest?"
Liora blinked.
Tessa looked like she expected to be laughed at, or worse, ignored.
Instead, Liora studied her carefully.
"…Why?"
Tessa swallowed. "Because I want to get better. And I want to learn from someone who actually knows how to survive. I won't slow you down, I swear."
Liora glanced at the quest slip again. Moss collection. Steep climbs. Predators.
A job she could do twice as fast alone. But…
She remembered Aria's small hand tugging her cloak.
How it felt to have someone depend on her.
Maybe it wouldn't hurt to let someone else depend on her a little out here, too.
She exhaled through her nose and held the quest slip out.
"Fine. But you follow my lead. You do exactly what I say. And if I tell you to run, you run. Understood?"
Tessa's eyes lit up. "Y-Yes! Thank you! I won't disappoint you!"
Liora gave a tired smile. "We'll see."
She signed the quest at the desk, then turned to Tessa.
"Meet me at the east gate at first light. Bring rope and a bedroll just in case, and don't forget water."
"Got it!" Tessa said, giving a clumsy salute.
As the girl ran off, practically glowing, Gareth leaned forward and raised an eyebrow.
"Since when do you take tagalongs?"
Liora tucked the quest slip into her cloak.
"Since I started thinking about the kind of world I want a little girl to grow up in."